SEATTLE – The Coast Guard rescued a fisherman early Tuesday morning after his commercial fishing vessel capsized near the entrance to Waldport, Oregon.
At approximately 5:40 a.m., watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a mayday call on VHF radio Channel 16 from the commercial fishing vessel Ambition, reporting the vessel was disabled in the surf near the entrance to the Alesa River.
The mariner stopped responding to radio calls shortly after.
Sector Columbia River issued an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB) and launched a 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Yaquina Bay and an MH-65E Dolphin helicopter crew from Air Station North Bend. Sector Columbia River also contacted the nearby commercial vessel, the Predator, which agreed to assist.
The helicopter crew arrived on scene first and decided they were the best resource to assist. They deployed a rescue swimmer and safely hoisted the man from the water. Once aboard the helicopter, the crew evaluated the captain for mild hypothermia and transported him to Samaritan Hospital in Newport for a higher level of care.
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